The Twelfth Blessing
by Penpal18873
Summary: Alana Potter didn't know she was guarded against her curse (gift?) her whole life until the day she wasn't. Then, her nights were plagued by the visions of a world similar yet so different from her own and days spent thinking about the man she was unwillingly stalking in the said world. How was she going to escape this mess and more importantly did she even want to? Fem!Harry
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Marvel**

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 **Chapter 1**

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Pale fingers twirled a black wand between them as their owner waited for her spell to take hold. The last strand of dark hair shone a bright golden before settling into a dull blonde color.

"Thank Merlin," Alana let out a breath of exhaustion, " That seems about right. Agh, that took way too long." She shook her head running her fingers through her hair trying to take out the tangles. It would have been much easier to cast a singular glamour spell than doing small sections but from her experience, and she had much of it, it lasted longer when done this way.

"Alana! Are you done yet?"

Alana rolled her eyes a little at her friends' exasperated shout, they wouldn't be getting late if she hadn't forgotten to wake up Alana because dear old Hermione was busy doing paperwork. Who enjoys paperwork? Honestly!

She gathered up her hair and twisted them at the top of her head into a messy bun. Securing the bun with a pin, she stilled as she ran her hand down her neck not feeling the thin chain that was always present there.

"Sorry!" She shouted back, " I'll be down in a sec. Gotta find my locket, misplaced it somehow." She mumbled the last part looking around for the silver glint of its chain. She wondered how she could have misplaced it when she never ever took it off.

She checked under the pillows first wondering if it somehow came off while she was sleeping but it wasn't there.

"Misplaced what?", came the reply.

"My locket," Alana answered absently as she ran her hands over the duvet searching with a little bit of panic budding in her chest. She threw the duvet on the ground right over the pillows.

"Your what?"

"Hermione, why don't you make it easier on both of us and come up here so you can hear me?" Alana huffed and shouted back while checking her own clothes, hoping that if the locket did fall off, it got caught on her clothes or something.

She pushed down the feeling of _wrong_ that threatened to drown her. There was a slight burning at the back of her eyes, Alana blinked rapidly to clear them. She elected to ignore how panicked to was becoming, more focused on her task.

" _Please, please, please._ " She chanted to herself, almost like praying to an unknown entity. She threw another pillow on the ground after checking it and turned to the mess on her bedside table instead.

Hermione who had just stepped in the room quickly stepped aside to avoid a frankly large tomb thrown over Alana's shoulder. "Okay, that's just disrespectful." She looked sorrowfully at the _'The magic and the healing'_ that lay crumpled on the floor.

"Alana, what exactly are you doing? We need to get going!", She strode across the room and grabbed Alana's arm before she could pull out the drawer she was looking through.

With that, she tried to pull her best friend with her only for her to dig her feet into the carpet trying to stop her, "No, I need to find it. I need to find it! "

Maybe it was something in her voice or her face but Hermione's face softened and her grip became slack. Feeling the hold loosen a little bit, Alana pulled her arm away from Hermione's hand and rushed to the cupboard instead.

"What did you lose? "

"I didn't lose it!" Alana insisted, "My locket. Its just...missing, that's all."

Hermione didn't point out the error in that logic. She looked at Alana dashing about, then at the watch encircling her wrist, then back at Alana and crossed her arms over her chest. "Just _Accio_ it." She advised.

"That thought never, ever, _ever_ crossed my mind." Alana spoke from where she was almost halfway in the wardrobe, "Thank you so much Mione' whatever would I do without you."

"Cause an international feud by insulting the wife of French minister?", Hermione retorted.

There was silence then a chuckle, " Got me on that one, though if you ask me she deserved it for poking her nose where it didn't belong. ", A few more clothes were checked and thrown out.

Hermione let out a small breath of relief, she hoped the laugh meant that Alana wasn't at the edge of a panic attack anymore.

"Implying that she must have nothing else to do in her life if she was so concerned with yours? Really Alana."

"She kept asking about my supposed 'secret marriage', how was I supposed to know who she was?"

Hermione shook her head with an amused smile. Alana was inside the wardrobe now. And the clothes were on the floor, "Not here," She declared, coming out of the wardrobe.

"Does it have a non-summoning charm on it?"

Alana hmm'ed leaning against the cupboard, her eyes unfocused as she ran her hand over her neck.

"Did you check under the bed?", Hermione's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

Alana turned unimpressed eyes towards Hermione who shrugged in return, "Fine." she placed a hand on the cupboard and pushed off a little.

She knelt next to the bed and stuck her arm under grimaced when her hand touched a sticky Berties Beans instead. There was a slight burning on the side of her forearm now, she absently wondered whether she'd get a carpet burn again. Last time she got one on her knees, it was near the time she'd moved into the apartment.

"I am going to help. We'll find it." Hermione finally declared,

Alana made a noise of approval and continued looking under the bed. And with that, the hunt for the locket continued.

About half an hour later, Hermione was looking through the jewelry box again, "When did you last see it?" There was a slight clink of jewelry as she pulled out each piece and put it to the side in a pile.

Alana blew a stray hair off her face, stepping out of the bathroom. "I don't remem-aaaa" A small shout escaped her lips as she slipped.

She fell into a pile of clothes with a thud "I am fine," She told, more to herself than to her friend. She calculated whether or not she wanted to make the effort to get up. In the end, she decided not to and scooted a bit to lean against the wall instead.

"I can't find it and we're late" Alana frowned a little, she put her head in her hands her elbows resting on her knees. "We're so late."

Hermione draped the jacket she had picked up over her arm and sat down beside Alana, "Let's just not go to the fair okay?" she said soothingly and Alana's eyes snapped back to her.

"Not go to the-Hermione what the hell are you on about. You've been talking about this fair for weeks!"

Hermione just shrugged, "I know you don't like going out, anywhere, without your pendant."

Alana stared at Hermione for a while, she wondered what she'd done to deserve such a good friend. In the end, the decision was quite simple. She took a deep breath and with one hand she grabbed the jacket Hermione was holding while she pushed herself up with the other.

"Let's go." She held out a hand for Hermione.

Brown eyes looked at the green with shock before they narrowed. Alana forced herself to keep her gaze steady and clenched the jacket tightly to stop her hand from shaking. Even a small indication of her discomfort would make Hermione cancel the plan. She wouldn't go, not even for the releasing of some limited edition book.

It took a lot of control to not let the rising panic show on her face. Alana did the same thing she always did, she pushed down the feeling until it was only a shadow of its actual intensity. I'll come back to haunt her later but it was the right option for the time being. She didn't want to take this away from Hermione.

"You sure?" Hermione asked again, taking her hand and pulling herself up at her nod.

"Yep, "Alana pulled the jacket over her arms, zipping it halfway. "and if we leave now we might just get there in time for that book of yours."

The girls locked their rooms and their apartment, taking the stairs two steps at a time and jumped into Hermione's car.

Alana swallowed a few times, she felt so exposed and in some way, vulnerable. She bit her lip until she could feel the slight sting, it kept her mind off other things.

Hermione turned the key in the ignition, she glanced at Alana and a peculiar look came over her face. It was somewhere between what-the-hell and should-have-expected-it look.

Alana tugged at her zipper self-consciously, "What?" she finally asked.

"Your hair."

"What about-" Alana stopped as she realized she could see a red strand from the corner of her eye, "Seriously! it took me an hour!" She groaned looking at her dark-haired reflection in the side view mirror.

"Are you sure you did the spell right?"

"Well, yeah. I've been using the same spell for my hair for...a year I think? And it never failed"

Hermione pursed her lips, she thought for a while then carefully said, "There are some cases where objects develop immunity after constant exposure to magic."

"It could be" Alana shrugged, slumping back into the seat. "or maybe it's just my luck messing with me again. First my locket, now this. So much for taking one step at a time."

"If you want-"

"Nope. Just drive."

"Are you-"

"Hermione, I love you but if you ask me that one more time I swear I will scream."

Hermione laughed, pulling the car out of their parking spot. A smile found its way to Alana's lips as well. Silence enveloped them for some time.

Alana loved how she didn't have to force herself to talk to Hermione. They never had to force a conversation. They were too comfortable with each other for that

Alana turned on the radio to play some music.

"So," Hermione began.

Alana internally groaned knowing what was coming.

"Draco was asking about you again,"

"Really. And what exactly did _Malfoy_ want?"

"Oh you know," Hermione feigned nonchalance," He wanted to know when you'll be back in town. For a coffee or something."

"Hermione," She took a deep breath, "I'm pretty-wait no, I am definitely sure that you're not the head of the department of Alana Potters love life. So I don't know why you keep trying to do this. I mean Malfoy. Really?" She rolled her eyes.

Hermione stifled the desire to shoot a scathing look at Alana and kept her eyes on the road,

"Draco is-"

"Reformed," Alana cut in and sniped, "Yeah you've told me that once or twice before." If she didn't know better she'd think that Hermione liked Malfoy with how much she gushed about his change.

Apparently, he decided that the only way to go forward was by doing things opposite to what his father would've done.

Alana took a strand of hair in her hand and twirled it around her finger. She could feel the guilt rising up her throat. It's not like Hermione was doing something wrong, she was just worried about her. The more Alana thought about her, the guiltier she felt. Finally, she turned towards Hermione who was staring straight ahead pursing her lips.

"I am sorry, Mione'"She finally blurted out, "Its just that-I've barely been here a month and I can't-I just can't do this right now. All I can think about is Teddy and-"

"I know." Some tension seeped out her Hermione's body, "I'm sorry too. I just thought that maybe going out will take your mind off of things."

"We _are_ going out Mione'"

Hermione threw a quick glare at her, "Stop butchering my name." There was no real heat behind it.

Alana laughed," Sorry, Miss Granger."

"Its Deputy Granger for you Potter." Hermione turned her nose up, in a perfect imitation of a stuck up higher up.

Their eyes met and both burst out laughing.

Hermione calmed down in time to park the car, the fair was a bit further out but the parking was kept away so that there is no sudden onrush of people.

Alana tried not to duck her head to hide her face while walking, she needed to do this. She needed to face the crowd again, her crowd. And what better way to get back into the wizarding society than attending small events to get used to it again. Though this trip was more for Hermione's sake than her integration into the wizarding world.

Speaking of, " So what's up with the whole 'no magic' thing. Kind of weird really."

Hermione hmm'd as she looked down at the map in her hand making sure that they were going the right way, " Ah, it's a security thing as well as a marketing technique."

"A marketing technique?" Alana looked away from a group of teenagers dressed as clowns to focus her attention on her friend again. She really was curious why they had to take a car instead of simply apparating at the event.

"Yeah. It is unusual so it bought people's attention to the fair. They wanted to create hype about the new book. It's a limited edition of _'The art of retransfiguration'_ , you know the book Minerva got me last year?"

Alana nodded her head, Hermione had said something similar before but she hadn't paid much attention.

"It was a really informative book, it revolutionized the transfiguration concepts. It has many spells designed to contain or limit magic at a place, the same spells are used in ministry holding cells. Plus the limited edition happens to be the unedited version so it has all the notes of the author which will be a great insight into the thought process behind the theories he proposed."

Alana staggered a little and her eyebrow raised as Hermione explained her reason for excitement, " I have no idea when you got so interested in Transfiguration, Hermione." And wasn't that just sad, she had no idea what was going on with her best friend. Alana felt a heavy weight settle in her chest.

Maybe Hermione sensed it because she rushed to clarify," Because I never did. I mean, it's not that it's not interesting but no I am not that passionate about it. I want to gift the book to Minerva, after I've read it once, of course."

"Oh," Alana whispered slowly, the weight still remained in her chest even if it lightened a bit. Moments like this showed how much she'd missed, how many things she'd left behind.

A hand clasped her own and Hermione smiled at her, her eyes offering comfort. Alana allowed herself to be dragged around with Hermione and slowly the tension left her shoulders. She could almost say that she was enjoying herself.

They were at a cotton candy stand when Hermione checked the time and jumped a little.

"They'll be opening the hall in 5 minutes!" She then looked at Alana, "You want to come, Al?"

Alana thought over it for a while before shaking her head, "Nah, I wanna explore the jewelry stalls for a while. I'll pass." The last book releasing she'd been to, Lockhart's, ended up in a fight. She didn't want to test her luck. Plus, the crowd.

Hermione looked like she wanted to try to convince her, she opened her mouth but then closed it again. She then took a small breath and shook her head, "I'll meet you back here?" She asked.

Alana nodded, " Yeah. In an hour?"

Hermione nodded a little before grinning and running away while trying to look as if she wasn't running.

Alana allowed a fond smile to appear on her face. Her best friend's inner child shone through her strict exterior whenever she was near books. It was kind of endearing.

Shaking her head, Alana started exploring the stalls. She wasn't lying when she said she wanted to look through all the jewelry and trinkets. She pulled her jacket tighter to herself when a sudden chill enveloped her.

Rubbing her hands together to let the heat seep into her, she let her eyes wander over the different stalls. She lingered at some of them to admire the wonky trinkets on them, things that seemed like they would have been home in Dumbledore's old office.

She was looking at a bronze bell that according to vender rang whenever you forgot something, a modified remember ball really when a golden glint caught her eye.

The vendor's voice carried itself to her ears and his words fell clear, "Ribbons, a variety of ribbons, made from purest of the silk threads."

There was something rich and dark in his voice. Like luxuriant dark chocolate, bitter and enticing. Her legs followed their own course and she couldn't look away if she tried.

Pushing past the crowd she stepped towards him. Before she knew it, she found herself before him.

"Ribbons, varieties of ribbons, made from purest of silk threads," he recited the well-versed words.

Alana's breath hitched a little as she took in the wide display of ribbons; Red, purple, magenta, lavender, pink, green, blue, violet, yellow, silver, white… and _gold_. Her eyes stayed on the golden one for longer than needed.

She reached out a hand before stopping herself. The ribbons must have some sort of magical property. There was no other reason why she'd feel so attracted to a bunch of ribbons. They didn't feel malicious, just different.

Alana had come across many such weirdly attractive artifacts in her travels, the vendors sometimes cast spells on their products to make sure they sold easily. It wore off after a week or so. But it Alana was intimately familiar with such spells and this felt nothing like that.

Pointing a finger at the one that she couldn't keep her eyes away from, she whispered, "That one," she was unreasonably worried that someone else would buy it if she bought too much attention to it.

The vendor followed her gaze and his mouth twitched into a knowing smile the moment he saw the ribbon she was pointing at.

"You may have that for free," he said, spelling out each word slowly. She absently noted that he was American.

"No, I couldn't possib..ly" Alana shook her head, turning her attention to him for the first time she had stopped at his stall, and her eyes stayed there fixated.

Only the vendor's eyes and jaw were uncovered, nothing else showed under the black mask he had on his face. His eyes were deep chocolate brown but she could swear she saw a glimpse of green in them. His smile widened at her reaction.

"Free; only for you dear," he spoke in the same smooth voice.

" _Beautiful,_ " it escaped her mouth before she could suppress it.

"It is, isn't?" He replied gesturing to the ribbons.

She stumbled back a little and heat crept up her neck. When did she start getting so flustered in front of men? She cleared her throat looking away from him for a second. "Yeah, it is. But I'd like to pay for it."

"Oh come on, Miss Potter." Alana's eyes snapped to his, "Consider it a gift." He removed the ribbon from the stand pin and put his hand forward for her to take it.

Over the years thousands of people had sent her presents and after returning the first few she realized that it was better to accept the presents (no matter how much she didn't want to) because the people got incredibly hurt when she didn't. And if they felt like they were repaying her (not that there was anything to repay for) by giving her gifs then who was she to rob them of that.

With that thought, She stared at him for a while then cautiously extended her hand and pulled on the ribbon slightly. She then tugged on it and took hold of it fully, as the grip of the vendor loosened.

Her eyes finally broke away from his and she looked at the soft ribbon in her hand. Remembering something that an acquaintance, Ria, had once told her, she messaged the silk ribbon between her fingers marveling at its softness. When it warmed up after a while, Alana allowed a small smile to appear on her face. Ria had told her that real silk warms up to the touch.

Now that she had it, she wondered what it was meant for. Did it have any magical qualities? Or was it just a plain silk ribbon to decorate things. Her lips parted almost forming the question but she stopped. She decided not to ask, it was always fun to figure out what an artifact did.

With a nod to herself, she took out the only pin that was holding her bun. Her hair came cascading down her back. Then she gathered all of it again and tried to tie the ribbon around her hair instead. What was the use of buying the ribbon if she wasn't going to wear it? The vendor's stare bore into her.

"Come on," she grumbled a little when a few locks escaped her fingers before she could tie the ribbon.

"May I?", the vendor's voice interrupted her inner monologue and she raised her eyebrows at him. He pointed towards the ribbon with a small smile.

Alana contemplated the wisdom of letting a stranger get so close. It wouldn't be rude if she disagreed, would it? After all, she had to allow him into her personal space for him to tie her hair. Maybe it would be better if she just left her hair open and tied them when she went home.

The vendor was very patient. He was looking at her with soft, knowing eyes and Alana knew he wouldn't mind if she refused. It was that acceptance that probably made Alana hold out the ribbon to him. It didn't even cross her mind that they were standing in a public area for it seemed like they were in their own personal bubble.

Brown eyes shone with happiness as he took the ribbon and Alana turned a little. Strong fingers combed through her hair gathering them into a ponytail, Alana let out a little sigh. His hands felt like heaven in her hair. She always did love people playing with her hair. Touch starved, Hermione would say.

She inhaled a little deeply taking in his frosty scent. He somehow smelt like ice, aftershave and...motor oil.

"Alana Ivy Potter! Don't tell me you fell asleep standing in the middle of all this noise. " Alana's eyes snapped open hearing the teasing voice of her friend. She saw Hermione standing in front of her, one hand on her hip and the other holding a package, most likely holding the book. Then

the words registered in her mind.

"Hermi-what? I am not Ron!"

Hermione laughed a little, "Well you're emulating him pretty well."

" _You're emulating him pretty well._ " Alana mocked grumpily making Hermione laugh harder.

"Then what exactly are you doing standing here all alone, with your eyes closed."

"All alone? What do you mean all alone? I am here with the.." Alana turned around to point at the stall,"..vendor?" There was nothing there. No stall, no vendor. There before her was an open space being crowded with people, walking and few running.

Hermione gasped, "And what did you do to your hair?", She grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her to face her.

Alana shook away the shock to answer her, " The ribbon? I bought it from this vendor that was just here. But somehow he just disappeared. I thought you said there was no magic allow-"

Hermione cut her off, "No, not the ribbon! I meant the golden color. Your hair is golden Alana!"

"What?" Alana frowned, " No it's not."

Hermione huffed before reaching behind her and pulling the hair from her ponytail to the front.

Alana's eyes widened. Her hair was golden. Like the ribbon.

"Oh my god!"

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 **Okay. I know I have three other stories already and I should finish them first but this little bunny just wouldn't leave my mind alone. So I decided to post this first, Its been haunting me for quite some time and I needed to get it out. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing its outline. I've never written a pairing before so its the first time for me, I hope it'll turn out okay. In the end, please let me know what you think of the start and whether you'd like to see me continue it. -Marey**

 **Edit:29-05-2019**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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Alana was trying not to freak out. It wasn't working very well. She took a few calming breaths. She could deal with this, it was no big deal. Maybe this is what the ribbon does, temporary hair changer. It could actually turn out to be very useful, once she manages to get it off that is.

"Come on!" She said making a face when the knot the vendor had made failed to come undone. She stuck a finger under the side of the ribbon and tried to tug it off, it didn't budge. She turned her back towards Hermione and indicated her to do it instead. Hermione tried a few times then she took out her wand. When the first spell washed over her, Alana shivered and turned around quickly.

"We shouldn't do this here." At Hermione's raised eyebrows she explained, "Too much attention, I absolutely do not want this to reach The Creevey."

Hermione winced in sympathy but put her wand back into its holster anyways. They both knew how excessive the reporters of _The Creevey_ tended to be. Once they knew she was back, she wouldn't get a moment of peace. They made the paparazzi look like angels in comparison.

"Okay, we'll deal with this back home." She grabbed Alana's hand and tugged her with her. She cut through the crowd like a knife through butter and before she knew it, Alana and Hermione were hopping back into the car.

Hermione turned the ignition and hearing the roar of the car starting up, Alana leaned back. She opened her mouth a few to time tell her exactly what had happened but it took quite some time before she could bring herself to tell her of the short encounter, mostly because she was dreading Hermione's reaction to her letting someone, a stranger, tie something in her hair.

Hermione didn't disappoint, her hands tightened over the steering wheel in a grip that looked painful, " So you mean to tell me," she began in a carefully controlled voice." that you let a stranger come that close to you, a stranger that knew who you were and you let him tie your hair in a ribbon."

Alana nodded tentatively.

"What were you thinking, Alana? Wait, You weren't thinking, were you? He could have seriously hurt you or maybe steal your hair for a potion, hair can be used in so many harmful potions. He could have cursed you, he may have for all we know. Honestly!"

Alana curled back into herself the more Hermione tore into her actions, she knew it had been a careless move. But she'd known it then too so she couldn't feign innocence, she was well aware of how dangerous it was. While this may be true, in that particular moment it had all seemed to be a second thought.

Despite knowing the danger, she had convinced herself to let him close. She had provided excuses for herself to do what she wanted. But what was more dangerous was the fact that even now, there was a part of her that didn't regret it that much, a little bit yes but not that much.

"I dunno what to tell you, Mione."

Hermione huffed, "How about 'I know what I did was irresponsible and I'll try to be more careful next time' ?"

"'I know what I did was irresponsible and I'll try to be more careful next time." Alana parroted, smiling when a small chuckle escaped Hermione.

"You're such a drama queen."

"Look whos talking Miss ' Expulsion is worse than death'" She threw back.

Hermione took a sharp turn, grinning when Alana's side hit the door and she glared at her.

"Would you let that go already, it was - years ago."

Alana hmm-d unconvincingly. Hermione pushed back a few strands that were obscuring her view, " I tried cutting into the ribbon but it didn't work. If I recall correctly, you had a book on disenchanting in your room." She waited for Alana to confirm before continuing, " We'll try that next."

"If that doesn't work? I do not want golden hair, I feel too much like a better female version of Lockhart."

Hermione laughed making Alana laugh as well, the tension in the air disappeared as they two friends did what they have always done, they stopped judging each other and tried to solve the problem together. Alana wiped a small tear from the corner of her eyes from laughing too much and started fiddling with the ribbon again.

Hermione parked in front of their building, " We'll just cut your hair then, it just the bottom that's golden. It kind of a pretty ombre if you ask me. The golden isn't Lockhart-golden its more of a Gryffindor-golden"

Alana took off her seatbelt, remembering to glare at Hermione before getting out of the car. "Well, I don't care if it is a pretty aubergine-"

" _Ombre_ " Hermione corrected.

"-I want my hair back."

* * *

They didn't manage to change her hair back to normal. They tried everything they could think of, potions and spells. They even went all out and cut off the bottom six inches of her hair which were golden but it was of no use, the color just traveled up and turned the bottom inches of her new length into an enchanting golden color.

So she was stuck with the golden hair.

If it were any other way Alana may not have minded much the dark red to golden transition looked very pretty and brought out her eyes. But what she hated was that it wasn't her choice to color her hair. It was done to her. And she loathed that. It took her such a long time to grow comfortable in her skin, to get out of the cycle of short choppy hair that her Aunt had made her accustomed to.

It took so many years for her to take control of what she wanted to do with her body, with her hair that having the control taken out of her hands, even for a moment, made her furious.

Alana heaved a sigh and turned another page of the large book in her hand. The words passed in front of her eyes in a blurry rush. She was almost about to declare the book a lost cause but a paragraph, in particular, managed to capture her attention and held it.

 _The age-old tradition of playing with colored ribbons and tying them in knots is rooted in folk magic. Ribbons are a basic ingredient of most spells and are one of the simplest though primitive way to weave magic. The Knot focuses the intent of the caster and serves as the container of the spell while the color of the ribbon represents the intent of the caster._

 _The meaning of the colors changes with the spell cast but the basic meaning remains the same. The meaning of different colors is provided on page 78. The strengthening if the spell requires-_

Alana urgently turned the pages until she reached the said page, her eyes swept over the color index.

 _Silver-purity, healing, innocence._

 _Scarlet-energy, passion, love._

 _Gold- mental reinforcement, communication, mercury magic._

"Hermione." She called out, "You need to see this." She handed the book over when Hermione came over from where she was writing their findings in a notebook. Hermione plopped down next to her on the couch and started reading.

Alana's shoulders lost some of their stress, Mental reinforcement didn't sound that bad.

"Well isn't that convenient. So its a boost of some sort."Hermione mumbled to herself.

Alana played with a worn thread on her shirt," Yeah, it seems like it."

"I tell you what," Hermione closed the book and turned towards her, "I'll cross reference the book with some other books in the library at Hogwarts and if what it says is true then we should leave the ribbon alone and let it run its time."

"Let it run its time?"

"Didn't you read the whole thing?'' Alana shook her head, Hermione explained a bit more "The book says that the ribbon will come off on its own when the spell is done. It won't come off until then."

"Oh," Alana tugged at a strand of her hair, "what about this?"

"It doesn't say anything about that but maybe one of the other books does, I'll look into it."

Alana leaned over and pulled Hermione into a hug, squishing the book between them. " I love love _love_ you Hermione bear."

Hermione pulled away with a laugh," Yeah I know." She checked the time with her wand, "We should sleep, it's late." She stood up and stretched her arms.

Alana yawned at the exact moment and rubbed her eye with a hand, "I hafta visit Molly first thing in the morning." She stood up as well, her hand traveled down to her neck rubbing the spot where her necklace usually rested.

"Oh dear, what did you do?" Hermione winced.

Alana hit Hermione playfully, "Just because she called me for breakfast doesn't mean I'm in trouble."

Hermione just held the book to her chest and stared at Alana.

Alana thought over Molly's letter for a while then groaned, " Its an intervention, isn't it? She's gonna grill me about not going over often"

An affirmative hum from Hermione confirmed what she was dreading and worse was that Hermione was clearly on Molly's side.

"Well, You did decline the invitation to the family dinner plus you didn't agree to the welcome party we wanted to throw you. You can't blame her for wanting to discuss this. Its been seven years since you've been to a Weasley's gathering, they've missed you, Al." She stopped then said under her breath, "I've missed you."

Alana felt the guilt rising up her throat, she gulped. "I've missed all of you too, Hermione. You know that."

Hermione gave a soft sad smile, "Yeah, I know." and with that, she walked away.

Alana stood in the living room for a while before sighing and deciding to retire to her room as well. She dimmed the lights in the room and climbed up the stairs to go to her own room.

Darkness greeted her when she opened the room, she stumbled around a bit in the dark until she found the light switch and turned on the nightlight. The bed looked very inviting despite the mess but Alana, after debating over the pros and cons, decided not to go to bed in her leather jacket and boots with sunscreen all over her face.

With a tired glance at the mess she'd made, she took out her wand. It was at this moment that she thanked whatever entity was out there that she'd learned cleaning spells while taking care of Teddy. She bit her lip and kept working until all the things were back at their proper place, that is all except the books that were enchanted against spells and she had to pick them up and put them back into the small shelves she'd installed with Hermione last week.

After that, she popped into the shower and put on her night clothes which consisted of an oversized dark blue T-shirt with the word 'Lightning' printed over the chest and black pajama bottoms. The shirt was well worn and the word faded but Alana loved it anyways. It was a gift from George,' _Lightning'_ apparently was a nod to how they referred to her on Potterwatch.

Alana slipped into her bed with a small sigh of satisfaction, the covers were cold but they'd warm over time. She liked her new room. While it didn't feel like hers yet, it was starting to get there and she liked that. She liked the feeling of belonging somewhere again.

Pushing away that thought she turned on her side again, she touched her neck again and had to stop a small whimper from escaping her lips. The locket had been her constant companion for over a decade, about 12 years to be exact and its absence rattled her.

It wasn't just that she'd had it for so long, Sirius gave it to her. His very last gift left for her, safe in his drawer with a letter that told her how much he loved her and how he probably got himself killed (he was stupid like that) if she found the letter instead of him giving the necklace to her so she shouldn't blame herself. He knew her too well, knew that she would blame herself. But, even when he was gone he was still there for her, his letter gave her the last push she needed to fight, to live.

And she did, she fought and the locket was there with her. Reminding her that she was loved at her darkest times. She never, never took it off because Sirius told her not to. He didn't say why in the letter. All he said was that it was a tradition for Potter women to wear the locket. 'To protect you' he wrote and of course, any kind of protection was welcomed by her with open arms.

Alana closed her eyes blinking away the slight moisture in them, she knew she was being unrealistic but she felt...naked without the locket. Like there had been a thin veil protecting her and now it was gone. It was all in her mind of course but like Dumbledore once said, it didn't make it any less real.

Swirling patterns of stars and colors that one sees when eyes are closed overtook her senses for a while. There was silence and cold, the sheets weren't warming up. Her bed felt like stone under her, hard and unforgiving. Alana shifted a little with a grimace and tried to pull the covers closer to her.

Her hand grabbed nothing.

Green eyes snapped open. She closed them immediately afterward as the bright light blinded her, her wand slipped into her hand with an instinctive flick of her wrist.

She put a hand on the floor she was laying on and pushed herself up. Wand in her hand, spell on her lips, she stood in battle stance taking in the unusual place she found herself in. Her sense alert, she waited. She waited for the whoosh of robes, the thumping of boots and the lights of spells to overtake her.

Nothing happened.

And that, that worried her. Over dramatic death eater wannabes, she could take, it was the silent attackers, the ones that knew manipulation, planning and mind games that were dangerous. She jumped behind a (beautiful) white car, at least it provided some sort of a barrier.

She thought of trying to apparate but gave up that thought at once. Getting brutally splinched and almost dying while going through a modified anti apparating ward was an experience she didn't want to repeat. Plus, she was curious about what was going on.

Curiosity is what got her into many of her messes and she knew it was gonna get her into another again but she couldn't help it. She was stressed and angry but she still had her wand, stupid of them really, so she could probably take whatever they were going to throw at her.

She looked through one of the windows of the car with something akin to awe, it was like something out of a sci-fi movie. Like the ones, she played in the background to pass time while staying at a hotel or another. The walls were lined with some sort of robots, each one slightly different but supporting a blinding red and gold combination.

There was a small clutter of something dropping in a distance, she tensed. A male voice, a very familiar male voice, reached her. It was the vendor's voice. Unwillingly, some of the tension slid off her shoulders. She berated herself a little then calculated the risk coming out of her hiding place.

A figure came down the stairs. Alana couldn't see him clearly through the tinted windows of the car, plus he was looking down at the small phone in his hand.

"Dum E, You replace my coffee with motor oil one more time and it's off to a tech museum with you buddy."

There was a chain of beeping and sound of rolling wheels.

Alana ducked behind to car again, she breathed deeply. It was foolish and dangerous. She shouldn't go there and find a way to get out of the laboratory before someone decides to cut her open and experiment on her. But when since when does she do what she should.

She took a deep breath again and stood up. She walked around from the back of the car and stood in front of it. The man's back was facing her, he was standing in front of some floating projections that made her do a double take. His fingers were running over the screens with a practiced ease. She waited for him to notice her.

A second passed, then two. She cleared her throat. No reaction. Alana frowned, "Hello." She tried again. The man kept ignoring her. She clenched her teeth and took a deep breath, "I am talking to you Mister whoever you are. You have any idea what I'm doing here?"

It couldn't be the vendor, he wouldn't ignore her like this. Would he? Anger filled her when he continued to pretend she wasn't there.

"I gotta complete this baby before the expo. Let's turn this party up, Jarv."

Alana flinched when the music started blaring from the walls. _That was it!_ She strode up to the man and slipped into the place between him and the screens.

She opened her mouth to shout at him, his hand moved towards her. She quickly stepped to the side but not soon enough, his hand almost touched her shoulder...and passed through it.

Alana touched her shoulder with a gasp, that felt cold. She looked at the man again, he was looking at a blueprint of some sort. It looked like one of the robots standing against the wall.

Oh, that made more sense. He wasn't ignoring her, he just couldn't see her. She tried to touch the screens in front of him and her hand didn't touch them either. So, this was a vision of some sort. That comforted Alana a little bit though she hadn't had a vision since she was 18 years old and that vision was about Voldemort, not some handsome scientist working in a lab.

Well, she definitely preferred this over the other visions. After all, it wasn't a difficult task to see a man work. And oh how he worked, his whole body thrummed with an energy. Alana tried to sit on a couch in the corner and had to laugh at the hilarity of her situation when she passed through it.

"So that's how its gonna be huh?", She shook her head and walked to the stairs instead, she sat on the stairs leaning against the wall.

"You know," she began, "I was about to shout at you but I guess I'll let it go this time, not your fault that I'm the Peeves to your Hogwarts right now." She chuckled a bit at her own analogy, the man bobbed his head to the music. She grinned when he started doing some sort of ridiculous dance.

 _"Sir, the fabrication for the hand repulsors for Mark V is completed."_

Alana's eyes widened as she looked around. The voice, it came from the walls. Her snapped towards the man as hummed back and gave a series of commands that she couldn't follow. There was some sort of spirit or program in the walls that was following the orders of the man, creepy.

Just like she was being by watching an unknown man without his knowledge. She stood up from the stairs and walked towards the door the man had come through, she tried to pull it open but it was locked.

 _"Alohomora."_ The door didn't budge, Alana took a deep breath. There must be some way out. Something touched her arm, light blinded her vision. Alana resisted the urge to put her hand over her eyes and pointed her wand towards whoever had touched her.

"Hey, Hey. You're fine, Al. You're safe." The blurry figure in front of her face said, if it weren't for the familiar bushy hair she would have cast a chain of curses already. Alana sat up with a start, she was in her bed again. And Hermione was sitting next to her, her hand on Alana's arm.

"I wasn't here, I was there now I'm here again."

Hermione rose an eyebrow, "Okay." She drawled then got up. She probably thought Alana was rambling in a sleepy haze, "I'm going out and you have to meet Molly in an hour." Alana grabbed her hand before she could walk away.

"What?", Hermione asked, turning to face her.

Alana opened her mouth to speak, " I had a vision, of a man."

A teasing look appeared on Hermione's face, " Oh my my, was he handsome?"

Alana's face flamed, "Very." She couldn't lie, he was very handsome. His energetic aura made him look even more attractive, but that is not what she wanted to talk about. She needed the second opinion on whether it was a vision or some sort of weird fantasy her mind came up with.

Hermione grinned," Then you'll have to tell me all about it tonight, I have to go now."

Alana nodded, "Buh Bye" and Hermione went out of the room followed by a sound of the fireplace being used. Alana leaned back into the bed pulling the sheets over her. She needed to get up, she should get up.

Alana laughed a bit on her train of thoughts and decided to do what she _should_ this time. She climbed out of her bed and went to the bathroom, then she remembered where she had to go today.

Time to face the music.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for the lovely response to this story guys! I loved every one of your reviews, I wasn't planning to update this week but seeing the reviews I couldn't help myself. Let me know what you think of the chapter in the reviews. Until next time.**

 **-Marey**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

There were many moments in Alana's life where she was incredibly happy, mainly after her introduction to the wizarding world (after all she didn't really remember her time with her parents). But her happiness was always tainted by a constant shadow of worry and anxiety. Looking back on them now, she can say that she would not give up those moments for anything because though they were bittersweet, they held a special place in her heart.

Her moving in with Andromeda had been one of those moments. After the war, she got stuck in the whirlwind of life. There was too much happening at the same time, the reestablishment of the ministry, reconstruction of Hogwarts, rehabilitation of Muggle-borns and half-bloods alike who'd borne the worst brunt of the war, to name a few. And people wanted her to be involved in everything.

Despite being told that she did not owe anyone anything multiple times, in the end, her hero complex won and she became the mascot (Celebrity) she swore she'd never become. She plastered a smile on her face and persuaded (threatened in case of death eater suspects) people to donate funds to get the British ministery back on its feet again. It worked too well, no one wanted to say no to the woman who, supposedly, saved them.

So she worked and worked until her cheeks hurt from plastering of smiles and her feet formed blisters due to the high heels Ginny forced her to wear. But it was all worth it, all the pain and the worries because at the end of the day she got to go home and cuddle her godson until his soft coos and babbling turned into yawns and they both fell asleep.

It reminded her what she was fighting for and she was so glad that she moved in with Andromeda when she did. On the other hand, there were the days when she was on the verge of a breakdown when her throat would choke with sobs and she'd have to continuously stop herself from bursting into tears.

They were the days when she held her toddling godson whose body burned with fever and whose whimpers made her cry and she prayed to whatever entity was out there to save him, she wished that she could just take his pain away. And she wouldn't sleep until the morning arrived and his fever broke putting him into a deep sleep.

Those days still haunted her, they replaced the war in her dreams and the peace in her soul.

She sometimes wondered how long Andromeda could have taken care of Teddy if she hadn't extended the tentative invitation of residence to Alana. Because when Alana moved in she could tell that the older woman was at the end of her tether, she was broken hearted and mourning. She couldn't take care of a child on her own, especially on his sick days. It made the arrangement perfect for them both, it gave Alana something to go back home to and it gave Andromeda a new purpose.

"Did you visit Andromeda, Alana? What is she working on? The poor dear is so busy these days, a visit would do her some good I think."

Alana emerged from her thoughts with a start. Right. Andromeda.

"Yes of course," She took a sip from the tea to give herself a moment to think." The unspeakables, as you know, can not speak of their work but I believe she's working on studying the cells of a lycan at the microscopic level to find the changes it undergoes during the transformation which is why she doesn't have much time these days. I could barely keep her for thirty minutes before she was called in."

Molly rubbed her hands on her apron and started mixing the batter again, a soft smell of vanilla already penetrated the air from where the other tray of cookies was baking. She hummed in agreement, "Well in a way I'm glad she's workin' hard. It's keeping her mind off of things."

Alana nodded and gulped down the last of the tea, she looked down into the tea leaves and smiled ruefully, " The cross and the sun. Sorrow and Happiness." She cleaned the cup with a twirl of her wand, "What's new about that." and with a sigh, she leaned back into the sofa from where she was watching Molly work.

"Hows the stomach?"

Alana rubbed a hand over the soft material of her shirt and caressed her stomach as if willing it to calm down, "Much better," She grimaced, " at least I don't feel like throwing up anymore."

Molly turned concerned eyes towards her, "And the fever?"

"Hasn't started yet, thank god." She picked up the next letter in the pile Molly had collected over the years.

 _Dear Miss Alana Potter Madam,_

Alana smiled a little.

 _My name is Ryan_ Whit _. I am eight years old. I lost a tooth yesterday. Today hour teacher Miss Wilks said to write a letter to a hero so this is my letter_.Tank _you_ sooo _much and I love you._

Alana ran a finger over the parchment where the boy's name was written. Ryan Whit. She thought over the name for a while, it seemed familiar. Did he live at the sanctuary? She made a mental note to ask Miss Wilkins to send her the updated list, it was about time she visited.

"So," Molly began in a nonchalant manner. Alana allowed the small note to fall on her lap, she mentally prepared herself for the scolding.

"Did you go to the fair you were talking about?"

Alana's mind screeched to a halt, "Wait, What?" That was...that was not what she was expecting.

Molly looked a bit confused, " The fair, Alana"

Alana had to take a second before she could bring her thoughts to her lips, "You're not going to tell me how upset you are that I canceled the party?"

If it was possible, Molly's face softened a bit more. "I didn't ask you to visit to go off on you, dear. I just want to know what's going on with you. That's all I've ever asked for."

There was silence. And despite Molly's words, it was an accusing silence.

Heat crept up her cheeks as Alana bowed her head a little. Her eyes burned, she blinked rapidly to chase away the moisture. It was one thing to know that she'd hurt her loved ones with her silence over the years and another to see how much she'd hurt them.

She wrapped an arm around herself. She shouldn't even complain, she deserved all the blunt words thrown at her.

She had imagined many times how she would have felt if Hermione or Ron had taken off suddenly with only gifts and a single letter coming at the beginning of Hogwarts term. The constant worry and anxiety would have hurt more than the silence. But even after knowing how horrible it must be for them, she could never bring herself to set foot back into Europe. It was too much. It still was.

There was a soft sigh, a soft movement of feet on the wooden floor. Then a soft hand touched her cheek. Lips pressed against her warm forehead, Alana controlled the sob that fought to escape her lips. She looked up into gentle brown eyes.

"But you're here now, my child. And that's all that matters. Take all the time you need, we'll be waiting and all of us will be right there by your side. Just like we always are, yes?"

Alana gave a small nod, Molly pulled her into her arms for a short hug before turning towards the kitchen again. At the entrance of the kitchen she turned and said, "Take some pepper up will you dear, you feel a bit peaky."

Alana hmm'd in reply, she could take the pepper up now but there was a set dose you could take in a day and she knew she might need it for later so decided not to. God, she hated full moons. She decided to bundle up a little more instead.

And with warm cookies, comforting hugs and the feeling of being 'home' Alana spent her morning and afternoon at one of the places she called home.

When Alana finally managed to get away, it was about 5 in the afternoon. The sun was setting. She missed the long days in South Asia when the sun kept the cold and the moonlight at bay as she took off her jacket walking into their apartment with a light heart but a raging headache.

She stilled and listened for a second before concluding that Hermione wasn't back yet, it wasn't anything new. Over the last month, she'd gotten used to Hermione's late timetable though, a treacherous part of her still hoped that Hermione had decided to come back early today.

A cold wind nipped at her exposed neck, Alana glowered at the open window and closed it with a casual wave of her wand. She shivered a bit and trudged towards her room falling in her soft bed with a sigh of exhaustion.

She should get some work done...but it _was_ always easier when she slept through the worst stages. With her mind made, Alana put the pepper up in her hand on the side table and pulled the covers over her body. She'd most likely kick them off when her body overheated but it was relaxing for now.

She hated the cold.

Her eyelids felt heavy and before she knew it she drifted into a restless sleep.

It was a large bright room, or ballroom if you will, that Alana found herself in this time. The light reflected off golden panels casting an ethereal glow over the whole room. Alana thought it was rather pretentious. It might have appeared as beautiful if she wasn't on the verge of throwing up.

Alana didn't bother to make too much fuss this time, it was quite clear she was having another vision (Dream?) So, she just moved away from the table whose middle she had appeared in and leaned against one of the walls. It was at this time that harsh breathing and grunting brought her attention to two figures fighting on a mat on the far side of the room.

They looked...mesmerizing. The dark haired figure darted around the golden one in an elaborate dance of dodging and attacking. She could swear that at one point she saw a clone of the dark-haired men fighting by his side. Her eyes stayed hooked on them until finally, the dark-haired man (most likely a wizard) pinned the other one to the floor, the dagger in his hand resting against the blond's neck.

Alana allowed a small tired smile to appear on her lips.

There was a loud roar of laughter, "Again, Brother! But, " The blonde shouted. Alana winced rubbing her forehead. "without cheating with your tricks this time." he continued in a slightly mocking and disapproving voice.

Alana started in incredulity. _What an asshole!_

She glared at him even if he couldn't hear see her but there was a sudden pull below her navel and the next second she was standing in Mystery Man's laboratory again. She was sitting on her designated spot on the stairs.

She contemplated trying to slip back into sleep on the stairs (Maybe that'd help her 'wake up') but she was too restless to sleep. With a sigh she looked around instead, the lab looked empty, Mister Rude was nowhere to be seen. A quick glance at the door at the end of the stairs and she came to the conclusion that he must be upstairs, the door was open after all.

It took her total of 15 seconds to convince herself that she should go explore, after all, who knows when she'd get to come back. She was feverish, her head hurt like hell and all she wanted was to rest but she did want to know what was beyond that door. She was here might as well satisfy her curiosity. So with a small grunt of pain, she stood up swaying a little on her feet and made her way to the door.

"Here goes nothing," She stumbled a little on the doorway and entered the..house? Huh, the lab was located in a house, it was probably the engineer's home. The house was beautiful and just like the battle room she wished she was able to appreciate its beauty. With a shake of her head, she started going from room to room making a map in her mind all the while trying not to feel like a creep.

"Well, it's not like I am here by choice." She reassured herself, "And since I am stuck here, there is no harm in looking." With that, she took another left and entered what looked to be the living room. The carpet was fluffy and luxurious, it was a pity she couldn't really feel it.

And there in the middle of the room, the man of the house was sprawled on the carpet laying on his stomach. He was wearing a soft green shirt which looked so soft that if it belonged to one of her family members she would have stolen it for herself.

Alana decided this was her spot, all that walking made her tired. She was just going to watch him work for a little while. She walked a little bit closer and sat down on the floor crossing her legs under her.

The man was doing something on the periodic table. She did catch up on her studies enough to realize that but she had no idea what exactly he was doing, his hands moved too fast for her to concentrate on what he was putting together and after a while, she just gave up and decided to study his expression instead.

He looked...agitated.

Alana leaned forward a little bit. Yep, definitely agitated. His eyebrows furrowed and he was very quiet, somehow she felt like he was usually a very talkative person. Maybe his project was worrying him?

"The combination appears to be unstable, Sir." The spirit spoke and Alana had to consciously stop herself from stiffening. The voice was...unsettling to say the least.

The man grunted, swiping away the screens in front of him. "I'mma mess, J. Give me something to distract me, darlin'" He rubbed at his chest absently. Alana's eyes followed the motion, his hands had several burn marks on them, marks of a hard working man.

 _"Miss Potts called, she wanted to confirm your attendance for the board meeting tomorrow. She also wished to remind you that you've run out of your 'Get out of jail free' cards "_

The man groaned, " Can't I play an 'I'm Tony Stark' card? Is there one, there should be." He ran a hand through his hair, "Keep running the stimulator, Jarv."

 _"Yes, sir."_

The man, now named Tony Stark, stretched a little before getting back to work. Alana watched his hands move over the screens, his movements were rhythmic in a weird sort of way. It was...claming. She uncrossed her legs with a wince. The floor looked quite inviting.

She laid down on the floor watching him through half-lidded eyes, she almost vomited when a sudden wave of nausea hit her but thankfully it passed. It only took her a few seconds to fall into sleep, this time a normal dreamless sleep that actually allowed her to rest.


End file.
